Waratahs bank on former All Black Daryl Gibson's `inside info'

By
DARREN WALTON

An enemy-turned-ally holds the key to the NSW Waratahs' hopes of securing a maiden Super Rugby championship with a hoodoo-busting victory over the Crusaders.

Kurtley Beale of the Waratahs celebrates scoring a try during the Super Rugby Semi Final match between the Waratahs and the Brumbies at Allianz Stadium. Picture: MATT KING/GETTY IMAGES

An enemy-turned-ally holds the key to the NSW Waratahs' hopes of securing a maiden Super Rugby championship with a hoodoo-busting victory over the Crusaders.

The Waratahs will tap into the vast knowledge of assistant coach Daryl Gibson, a vital cog in five of the Crusaders' record seven Super Rugby titles, in a bid to conquer the champion New Zealanders for the first time in a decade.

The Tahs have lost their past 11 clashes with the Crusaders, including the 2005 and 2008 title deciders and consider Gibson's expert insight as priceless.

The former All Blacks centre featured as a player in the Crusaders' first four championship wins in 1998, 1999, 2000 and the unbeaten 2002 side before he became Robbie Deans' assistant coach when they denied the Waratahs in 2008.

"He's our mole," said Waratahs halfback Nick Phipps after his man-of-the-match display in Saturday's 26-8 semi-final defeat of the Brumbies.

"He knows the New Zealand teams inside and out so we'll have a lot of detail to do.

"He's been there, done that. He's played all those games, so he'll be having a lot to say during the week.

"It's good for us. We're able to have that inside knowledge and know that style of play that they're going to play and how to counter that."

All up, the Crusaders have contested 10 finals while this will be only NSW's third.

Yet again, the rugby gods have thrust Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Kieran Reid and company in their path.

"They've got finals experience across the board, All Blacks everywhere," Phipps said ahead of the teams' first meeting for 2014.

Coach Michael Cheika, though, wouldn't have it any other way and wanted the Waratahs to "earn their stripes" with victory over the best since before a ball was kicked this season.

"Then we can honestly sit back and say that we went the hardest route possible and that we've done the very best we can," Phipps said.

"We've made it very clear that a semi-final win is awesome, but no-one really remembers second place.

"So we've got a lot of work to do and we're keeping our heads down ... it's going to be an epic week."

The last time the Waratahs and Crusaders clashed for the title, the Kiwis were minor premiers and hosted the final after NSW finished the regular season in second place. AAP